Rolled step rail-joint.



B. G. BRAINE. 4

ROLLED STEP RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911. 1,007,914 Patented Nov. 7, 1911.

4 SHEETS-SKBET 1.

B. G. BRAINE.

ROLLED STEP RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8, 1911.

1,007,914, Patented Nov. 7, 1911 4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BANCROFT Gr. BRAINE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE RAIL JOINTCOMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ROLLED STEP RAIL-JOINT.

eonora.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BANoRorTG. BRAINE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, in the countyof New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rolled Step RailJoints, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the subject of compromise or step rail jointsfor connecting the abutting ends of dissimilar rails of differentheights or sections so that the gage and surface thereof are broughtinto alinement.

It has been a general practice heretofore to construct joint bars, foruse in a compromise or step rail joint, by making such bars of steel ormalleable iron castings and of a design and configuration correspondingto that of the rail sections to be united, besides providing for thestepped relation of the rail supporting base sections by making the basesupporting section for the smaller rail thicker than the base supportingsection for the larger rail, thereby disposing the upper supportingfaces of the separate base sections in different elevations. This is awell known construction and 1nvolves some manufacturing difliculties onaccount of the character of the joint bars and the fact that the sameare made of castings, while the present invention proposes to provide'an improvement in the art of making step-joint bars in order to producebars of substantially uniform design and dimension throughout, and inwhich the weight and thickness of material are more uniformlydistributed over the entire length of the bar, besides providing a barthat can be manufactured with facility by the ordinary rolling millprocesses.

It is therefore a distinct feature and object of the present inventionto provide certain novel and practical improvements possessing specialutility in the manufacture of step-joints from rolled steel. Also theinvention has in View a novel construction of rolled step-joint barpresenting a plurality of rail-supporting base-sections that extendthroughout the length of the bar body, While at the same time arecapable of being bull-dozed or set up to provide for the necessarystepping and alining of the dissimilar rails.

With these and many other objects in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 8, 1911.

Patented Nov. '7, 1911.

Serial No. 637,556.

view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention 1sbetter understood, the same consists in the novel constructuralmodifications and to embodiment in various forms of step joints withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, but certain preferred andpractical forms of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a sectional perspective view of a rolled steelstep-joint embodying the improved joint bar constructed in accordancewiththe present invention. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the jointshown in Fig. 1, the line of section being taken through the smallerrail. Fig. 3 is a detail View illustrative of the improved joint barsection in one of the forms in which it may be rolled, and before thefinal shaping of the bar. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing thejoint bar section fitted up for one rail and as it might be used for thereinforced base-plate joint. Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional View ofa compromise or step rail joint illustrating the dissimilar railsconnected by the improved joint bars and showing the pluralbase-supporting feature of the bars. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5but showing another form of joint embodying the invention. Fig. 7 is avertical longitudinal sectional view through the joint shown in Fig. 1,the said section being taken on one side of the rails so as to show theslit in the middle of the upper base sup- .1:

porting flange. Fig. 8 is an end view of a still further modification,the smaller of the two rails being shown in section.

Like references indicate corresponding parts in the several figures ofthe drawings.

In carrying out the invention it will be apparent that the rail joint asan entirety may be modified to meet different requirements, andaccording to the option of the manufacturer without affecting the char-Jiinvention, the essential features remain the same, and referring tothe figures of the drawings exemplifying these features it will beobserved that each joint bar, in all embodiments shown, consists of anupright splice member 1, formed at its upper edge with the usual bearinghead 2, engaged beneath the heads of the rails, and at its lower edgeformed with an inclined outwardly extending foot-flange 3 overlying theflanges of the rails, and from which foot flange depends an integralbase-portion 4 which has formed therewith, by the action of rollingwitha slit 5*, thereby admitting of the portion of this rail-supporting basesection on one side of the junction of the rails being bent orbull-dozed independently of the portion of the said rail-supporting basesection on the opposite side of the junction of the rails. When therails are of such sections that only a slight step is necessary in theupper base section 5, this step may be effected by offsetting the upperbase section 5 at the meeting point of the rails, instead of slitting itas shown in the drawings at 5 In constructing the step rail joint withjoint bars of the construction described,

it will be observed that a pair of such bars is employed with thedissimilar rails 7 and 8, the same being arranged respec-- 'tively onopposite sides of the rails and fastened thereto by means of the-usualseries It will be observed that of joint bolts 9. rail flange receivingspaces 10 and 11 are respectively provided between the foot flange 3 andthe intermediate base section 5, and:

between the latter and the lower base section 6, and which respectivelyreceive the flanges of the smaller and larger rails as plainly shown inFigs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The joint bar may be rolled to the section shown in Fig. 2 of thedrawings with the lower base section 6 open as indicated by the dottedlines, the said lower base section being bull-dozed to the positionshown by the full lines in Fig. 2 after rolling, thereby properlyadjusting the joint bars to receive the smaller rail. Again, the jointbar may be rolled to the section shown in Fig. 3, and after the rolling,both base sections 5 and 6 may be bull-dozed to the position shown bythe full lines in Fig. 2. The joint bar section under one half of thejoint is made suitable for the larger rail 8 by bull-dozing open up thelower space 11 for the reception of the flange of the larger rail, asplainly shown in Fig. 1.

By way of further exemplifying the invention there is shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings the bar section as it is rolled, while in Fig. 4 of thedrawings the same bar section is shown set up for one rail, while inFig. 5 of the drawings, the stepping and alining act-ion of the jointbars is illustrated, together with the added feature of providing thelower base section 6 of each bar with a pressed-up bearing projection 12that is intended to give a solid base support for the intermediate basesection 5 that engages beneath the flange of the smaller rail. The samefeatures of the bar, as shown in Fig. 5 are illustrated in Fig. 6applied to a modified form of joint, wherein the base section extendsthe full width of the rail.

bases and the improved joint bar is only arranged at one side of therails, while an ordinary angle-bar 13 is fitted in the fishing spaces atthe opposite sides of the rails.

With the form of the invention shown in Fig. 8 no bull-dozing of theupper rail supporting base section 5 is necessary, since the space 10between the foot flange 3 and the upper base section 5 is uniformthroughout the length of the joint bar and sufiiciently large to receivethe basal flange of the smaller rail, while the space 11 between theupper base section 5 and the lower base section 6 is also uniformthroughout the length of the splice bar and sufficiently large toreceive the basal flange of the larger rail. It will thus be apparentthat a portion of each of the spaces 10 and 11 will be unoccupied by therespective rails, and these unoccupied portions of the spaces may befilled in by suitable filler blocks, should such be found desirable.

While the invention is more particularly adapted for use in connectionwith stepped joints, yet it will be readily appreciated that the formsof the invention shown in Figs. 2 and 4 might be employed to connectrails of the same section, the lower base sections 6 of the splice barsserving as reinforcing elements.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and manyadvantages of the herein described improvement in step rail joints willbe apparent without further description, and it will also be understoodthat various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim,-

1. A step-joint bar having a plurality of base supports for dissimilarrails extending throughout the length of the bar body.

2. A step-joint bar having a plurality of rail-supporting base sectionsfor dissimilar rails that extend throughout the length of the bar body.

3. A step-joint bar having separate base supports for the rails arrangedone above the other.

4. A step-joint bar having a plurality of base supports arranged oneabove the other and extending throughout the length of the bar body.

5. A step-joint bar having two base supports for dissimilar rails, saidbase supports being arranged one above the other.

6. A step-joint bar having separate base supports for dissimilar railsarranged in superposed spaced relation.

7. A step-joint bar having separate base supports for dissimilar railsarranged one above the other, rail flange receiving spaces beingrespectively provided between the bar body and the intermediate basesupport, and between the latter .and the lower base support.

8. A step-joint bar having a pair of railsupporting base-sectionsarranged in superposed spaced relation and extending throughout thelength of the bar body.

9. A rolled step-joint bar having a pair of rail-supporting basesections arranged one above the other and bull-dozed into positions forrespectively supporting the dissimilar rails.

10. A step-joint including the dissimilar rails and a joint bar fittingthe fishing spaces of the rails and having a pair of inwardly extendingrail-supporting base sections bulldozed into positions for stepping therails, the intermediate base section occupying a position beneath thebottom of the smaller rail and overthe flange of the larger rail, andthe lower base section occupying a position below both rails but insupporting con tact with the bottom of the larger rail.

11. A splice bar for rail oints including a pendent base portion formedwith a pair of inwardly projecting rail base supporting sections.

12. A splice bar for rail joints including a foot flange formed with anintegral and pendent base portion, the said base portion being formedwith spaced base sections which project inwardly therefrom and arearranged substantially parallel to the foot flange.

13. A splice bar for rail joints including a foot flange formed with anintegral and pendent base portion, the said base portion being providedwith inwardly extending base supports either of which is designed toengage the base of a rail. 7

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

BANOROFT G. BRAINE.

Witnesses:

E. F. SGHERMERHORN, ALEX CHAPMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

